Archinect - News

Three contemporary education projects by Newman Architects: Your Next Employer?

2024-04-15T13:39:00-04:00

Following our previous visit to San Francisco-based WRNS Studio, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to Connecticut this week to explore the work of Newman Architects.

Based in New Haven, the firm was founded in 1964 with the principle of “creating functional, nurturing environments that have a sense of belonging to the communities they serve.” Over the following decades, the firm has built a portfolio including educational, commercial, and community projects which have garnered over 150 awards, including an AIA/ALA Library Building Award for their Slover Library in Norfolk, VA.

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for a Marketing Coordinator / Graphic Designer to join their New Haven office. For candidates interested in applying for a position, or anybody interested in learning about the firm’s output, we have rounded up three education projects by Newman Architects that exemplify the studio’s ethos.

Lynn University Snyder Sanctuary. Image courtesy: New...

Inside Yale's new Center for Architecture and Ecosystems

2023-02-06T14:04:00-05:00

The center’s main objectives are to research, develop and test novel building-integrated systems for on-site energy generation, air cleaning, water purification and food growing [...] the CEA is a 'consortium that unites researchers in the R&D of novel building research,' bringing together the resources of multiple departments on campus.

The four-year-old Center for Architecture and Ecosystems (CEA) was founded as a collaboration between Yale School of Architecture, the School of Environment, and four other colleges. The Center has thus far conducted prototyping projects in Guatemala and South Africa and will, in the future, leverage collaborations with Rice, Cornell, the University of Arizona, and other institutions in further pursuit of its ambitious research and development aims.

“A major goal of CEA is to develop new systems to reach net zero,” the Center's founding director Anna Dyson said to the Yale Daily News. “We want to build environmental systems that are not going to stress the planet’s ecosystems.”

The CEA is in the process of moving into its own space on Howe Street in New Haven and is currently undergoing renovation.

Construction Update: Becker + Becker's transformation of a historic Marcel Breuer building is making progress

2021-08-16T15:20:00-04:00

A brutalist icon continues to make progress with its green makeover thanks to a new Passive House renovation by Becker + Becker.

The Pirelli Tire Building is perhaps one of New Haven, Connecticut’s most famous landmarks. The original nine-story structure was completed in 1970 and considered one of Marcel Breuer’s signature American buildings as well as one of the best examples of Brutalism in the country.

Architect and developer Bruce Becker is working to convert the former office building, famously owned by IKEA until recently, into a boutique hotel with 165 rooms that also has a net-zero rating with water, heating, and electricity provided on-site, a feature the architect says is unique to some of the challenges of the typology.

“The hospitality sector is probably one of the hardest ones to electrify, because the buildings tend to use energy more intensively,” Becker told Fast Company. “If they have on-site laundries, the convention is to use a lot of fossil fuels to run those. ...

New Haven's Marcel Breuer building takes next step towards hotel redevelopment

2020-01-09T14:30:00-05:00

Plans to transform the historic Pirelli Building on Sargent Drive into a hotel have moved forward, as a local developer has purchased the property from IKEA for $1.2 million. The developer, Bruce Becker, purchased the 2.76-acre property at 500 Sargent Drive on Dec. 31. The deed was recorded in city land records Friday.

The Brutalist, Marcel Breuer-designed Pirelli Tire Building in New Haven could be experiencing a new life as a hotel after sitting vacant for years.

The New Haven Independent reports that the property's previous owner, IKEA, had "paved the way for the Pirelli project by winning approval in November 2018 from the City Plan Commission for a detailed plan and coastal site plan for the conversion of the building into a hotel with up to 165 rooms."

Tom Burr / New Haven, Phase 1, 2017, installation view, Bortolami, New Haven

In 2017, artist Tom Burr staged the show Body/Building inside the gutted belly of the 1960s building to draw renewed attention to the abandoned landmark that was partially demolished ("amputated," as Burr called it) in 2003 to make way for the adjacent IKEA parking lot.

Yale students upgrade the "triple-decker" type

2019-07-11T15:20:00-04:00

First-year professional degree students of Yale School of Architecture are hard at work designing and building a new three-unit affordable housing complex in New Haven's Hill neighborhood.

Formally known as the Jim Vlock First Year Building Project, the year-long studio has been an annual ritual at the university since 1989 when then-dean Charles Moore instituted the program. Since then, Yale students have worked to design and build homes for over 50 New Haven families, according to the university. This year's run of the program is being carried out in partnership with Columbus House, a non-profit organization that works to address homelessness in the New Haven area.

View of project model. Image courtesy of Yale School of Architecture.

Initially divided up into competing teams, the students in the studio started by tackling a series of fundamental conceptual exercises to develop approaches for addressing issues of inhabitation, enclosure, unit aggregation, and interior design.

For...

Marcel Breuer's Brutalist Pirelli Building is slated for new life as a hotel

2018-04-24T14:53:00-04:00

Marcel Breuer's iconic Pirelli Building, once a symbol of New Haven's mid-century embrace of urban renewal and modern architecture, has spent the past two decades completely vacant, save for a recent art show.

Known for its Brutalist design featuring a 2-story gap, the mid-century masterpiece was taken over by IKEA in the late 90s. Upon acquiring the property, the Swedish furniture giant demolished the adjacent two-story wing to make room for parking spaces and have since left the remaining structure unoccupied, much to the anxiety of preservationists and civic leaders. Listed by the State Register of Historic Places, many believed it would become the victim of IKEA's demolition-by-neglect strategy.

With the New Haven Independent reporting on new interest in turning the Sargent drive property into a hotel, the building now has a shot at its adaptive reuse. IKEA has yet to announce updates on plans for the Pirelli Building, but the city's Economic Development Administrator Matthew ...

Get Lectured: Yale, Spring '18

2018-01-03T18:52:00-05:00

Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Winter/Spring 2018

Archinect's Get Lectured is an ongoing series where we feature a school's lecture series—and their snazzy posters—for the current term. Check back regularly to keep track of any upcoming lectures you don't want to miss.

Want to share your school's lecture series? Send us your school's lecture series poster and details to connect@archinect.com.

The Yale School of Architecture's Spring 2018 lecture series will kick off on January 11 with Róisín Heneghan and Shih-Fu Peng. Other speakers include David Benjamin, Florencia Pita and Jackilin Hah Bloom, Julie Eizenberg, Luis Callejas, Liam Young, and more.

LECTURES

Jan 11
Róisín Heneghan and Shih-Fu Peng
“Calibration”

Jan 18
David Benjamin
“Now We See Now”

Jan 25
Jane Rendell
“Home/Work Displacements”
Keynote address for the symposium Rebuilding Architecture

Jan 26
Eyal Weizman and Ines Weizman
Keynote address for the symposium Rebuilding Architecture

Feb 1
Florencia Pita and Jack...

The peculiar history of New Haven's 'amputated' Marcel Breuer building

2017-10-09T14:09:00-04:00

Fifteen years after IKEA demolished part of it for a parking lot, a Marcel Breuer-designed office building in New Haven has become a stage for art. [...] Now, Burr is building on those explorations in his current show, Body/Building. Spread out over the first floor of Breuer’s gutted local icon, the show uses objects that weave together a story about himself, the site, and his city.

Tom Burr / New Haven, Phase 1, 2017, installation view, Bortolami, New Haven

New Haven-native, and now New York-based, artist Tom Burr tells the story of one of the city's most iconic, and controversial, buildings in his current show Body/Building, now on display inside the gutted belly of the 1960s brutalist Marcel Breuer-designed Long Wharf building.

"I’m interested in the fact that it’s amputated," Burr revealed, hinting at the partial demolition that the current owner, IKEA, saw necessary in 2003 to provide surface parking for its new store on the site.

Tom Burr / New Haven, Phase 1, 2017, installation view, Bortolami, New Haven

The show can still be visited until November 11 and is free of charge but requires an appointment.

Get Lectured: Yale, Fall '17

2017-08-14T18:07:00-04:00

Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Fall 2017

Ready or not, the start of the school year is coming up. Back for Fall 2017 is Archinect's Get Lectured, an ongoing series where we feature a school's lecture series—and their snazzy posters—for the current term. Check back regularly to keep track of any upcoming lectures you don't want to miss. Mark those calendars!

Want to share your school's lecture series? Send us your school's lecture series poster and details to connect@archinect.com.

See what events and exhibitions are in store at the Yale School of Architecture for Fall '17.

Lectures and talks begin at 6:30 p.m. in Hastings Hall (basement), unless otherwise noted. Doors open to the general public at 6:15 p.m.

Aug 31
Janet Marie Smith, Edward P. Bass Distinguished Visiting Architecture Fellow
“America’s Urban Diamonds: Hits, Runs, and Errors”

Sept 7
Scott Ruff, Louis I. Kahn Visiting Assistant Professor
“Black Matter”

Sept 14
Ada Karmi-Melamede
Gallery talk on the “Social...

Get Lectured: Yale, Spring '17

2017-02-09T14:46:00-05:00

Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Winter & Spring 2017

Archinect's Get Lectured is back in session for Winter and Spring 2017. Get Lectured is an ongoing series where we feature a school's lecture series—and their snazzy posters—for the current term. Check back frequently to keep track of any upcoming lectures you don't want to miss. Mark those calendars!

Want to share your school's lecture series? Send us your school's lecture series poster and details to connect@archinect.com.

Check out these upcoming lectures at the Yale School of Architecture for Spring '17. Unless noted otherwise, lectures begin at 6:30 p.m. in Hastings Hall (basement floor). Doors open to the public at 6:15.

Feb 23
Karsten Harries
"Running Out of Space? Architecture and the Need for a Post-Copernican Geocentrism"

Mar 30
Maria Gough
"Architecture as Such''

Apr 6
Tom Phifer
"Four Museums and Other Work"

Apr 7
Kazuyo Sejima
"Environment and Architecture"
Keynote address for the "Material Light::Light Material" sy...

Get Lectured: Yale, Fall '15

2015-10-13T12:46:00-04:00

Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Fall 2015

Archinect's Get Lectured is ready for another school year. Get Lectured is an ongoing series where we feature a school's lecture series—and their snazzy posters—for the current term. Check back frequently to keep track of any upcoming lectures you don't want to miss.

Want to share your school's lecture series? Send us your school's lecture series poster and details to connect@archinect.com.

Lectures begin at 6:30 p.m. in Hastings Hall (basement floor). Doors open to the general public at 6:15 p.m. Below are upcoming events only.

Oct 15
Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi / Weiss/Manfredi
Eero Saarinen Visiting Professors
“Public Natures: Evolutionary Infrastructures”

Nov 2
M J Long / Long & Kentish
“Anatomy of a Shed”

Nov 5
Wolf Prix / Coop Himmelb(l)au
Norman R. Foster Visiting Professor
“The Himmelb(l)au Project”

Nov 12
David W. Roth and R...

Get Lectured: Yale, Spring '15

2015-01-15T13:20:00-05:00

Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Winter-Spring 2015

Archinect's Get Lectured is back in session! Get Lectured is an ongoing series where we feature a school's lecture series—and their snazzy posters—for the current term. Check back frequently to keep track of any upcoming lectures you don't want to miss.

Want to share your school's lecture series? Send us your school's lecture series poster and details to connect@archinect.com.

Lectures begin at 6:30 p.m. in Hastings Hall (basement floor). Doors open to the general public at 6:15 p.m. Below are upcoming events only.

Jan 15
George Morris Woodruff, Class of 1857 Memorial Lecture
Anthony Vidler / Vincent Scully Visiting Professor in Architectural History
“The Brutalist Epoch: Histories, Theories, and Criticisms"

Jan 22
Niall McLaughlin / Norman R. Foster Visiting Professor
“Origins and Translations”

Feb 12
Gordon H. Smith Lecture
Steve Burrow...

Get Lectured: Yale University, Fall '14

2014-08-27T16:18:00-04:00

As the new school year approaches, Archinect's Get Lectured is back! As a refresher, we'll be featuring a school's lecture series—and their snazzy posters—for the current term. If you're not doing so already, be sure to keep track of any upcoming lectures you don't want to miss.

Designed by Pentagram, our first poster comes from the Yale School of Architecture with their Fall 2014 Lectures and Exhibitions. Lecturers include FAT Architecture, Tod Williams Billie Tsien, Gray Organschi Architecture, SHoP Architects, and Patkau Architects.

Want to share your school's lecture series? Send us your school's lecture series poster and details to connect@archinect.com.

Listed below are lectures only. Lectures begin 6:30 PM in Hastings Hall (basement floor). Doors open to the public at 6:15 PM.

AUGUST

Aug. 28
Sean Griffiths, Charles Holland, and Sam Jacob / Eero Saarinen Visiting Professors
“Once More with Feeling”

SEPTEMBER

Sept. 4
Elizabeth Gray and Alan Organschi / Louis I. Kahn Visiting Assistant Pr...

Get Lectured: Yale, Spring '14

2014-03-13T13:10:00-04:00

Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Winter/Spring 2014

Archinect's Get Lectured is up and running again for the Winter/Spring '14 term! As a refresher from our Fall 2013 guide, every week we'll feature a school's lecture series—and their snazzy posters—for the current season. If you're not doing so already, be sure to keep track of any upcoming lectures you don't want to miss.

Our poster today comes from the Yale University, School of Architecture. Just like last Fall, their poster was designed by Michael Bierut and Jessica Svendsen of Pentagram.

Want to share your school's lecture series? Send us your school's lecture series poster and details to connect@archinect.com.

Listed below are upcoming events only. Lectures begin at 6:30 pm in Hastings Hall (basement floor of Paul Rudolph Hall), unless noted. Doors open to the general public at 6:15 pm, unless noted.

MARCH

March 26-27
5:00 pm
Bruno Latour
March 26: “How Better to Register the Agency of Things: Semiotics”
March 27: “Ho...

Get Lectured: Yale Fall '13

2013-10-07T12:21:00-04:00

Archinect's Architecture School Lecture Guide for Fall 2013

Here on Archinect we recently launched "Get Lectured", where we'll feature a school's lecture series--along with their snazzy posters--for the current season. Check back regularly to stay up-to-date and mark your calendars for any upcoming lectures you don't want to miss.

Our first poster of the week comes from the Yale School of Architecture, specially designed by Pentagram, Michael Bierut, and Jessica Svendsen.
(It's hard to not get hypnotized by that typography, no?)

Want to share your school's lecture series? Send us your school's lecture series poster and details to connect@archinect.com.

Below are events listed under Lectures only. Lectures begin at 6:30 pm in Hastings Hall (basement floor). Doors open to the public at 6:15 pm.

AUGUST

August 29
John Spence
Edward P. Bass Distinguished Visiting Architecture Fellow
“Five Star Hippie”

SEPTEMBER

September 5
Sylvia Lavin
“Architecture That Is Near and Arc...

Yale Assembly Pavilion

2012-07-10T19:04:00-04:00

A team of students from Yale's School of Architecture has shared with us their pavilion project which acted as the ticket and information booth at the New Haven International Festival of Arts and Ideas this June. The pavilion was designed, built, and fund-raised this spring and summer in the 'Assembly' seminar led by faculty member Brennan Buck. The seminar sought to explore the relationship between digital design and fabrication on the one hand and public engagement and visual dynamism on the other.

Here's the project description we've received from the students:

A pavilion for the International Festival of Arts and Ideas opened on Friday, June 15 on the New Haven Green as the product of the ‘Assembly’ seminar led by faculty member Brennan Buck. Thirteen students and teaching assistant Teoman Ayas completed the design work during the spring semester, with fabrication and assembly following in the early weeks of summer.

All fabrication work was completed in the scho...